Folded liquid containing box



Nov. 24, 1959 J. w. HAZELWOOD 2,914,234

FOLDED LIQUID CONTAINING BOX Filed July 26, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

o 29 V 37y 38 'A"/ 42 25 I f 3 24 5 X 35 i j INVENTOR 1 JAMES w. HAZELWOOD 4; BY m I HIS ATTORNEY Nov. 24, 1959 J. w. HAZELWOOD 2,914,234

FOLDED LIQUID CONTAINING BOX Filed July 26, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 2 D O m L E Z .A H WW 8 E M A J HIS ATTORNEY Nov. 24, 1959 J. w. HAZELWOOD FOLDED LIQUID CONTAINING BOX 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 26, 1956 FIG.5

INVENTOR JAMES W. HAZELWOOD HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent FOLDED LIQUID CONTAINING BOX James W. Hazelwood, Jacksonville, 'Fla., assignor to Newth-Morris Box Corporation of Florida, Jacksonville, Fla., a corporation of Florida Application July 26, 1956, Serial No. 600,258

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-31) This invention relates to folded boxes, and particularly to boxes made of a single folded blank and capable of holding water or other liquid An object of the invention is to provide a simple, onepiece box capable of holding water in both an upright and aninverted position A specific object of the invention is to provide an improved watertight corner construction at the ends of hinge folds joining the top and bottom sections of a telescoping cover one-piece box The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a box embodying the invention partially erected and With the top or cover in open position;

Fig. 2 is a broken away perspective fragmentary view on a reduced scale showing details of the improved watertight joint of the box;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the box in closed position on approximately the scale of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a partially broken away sectional view of the box taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3 and on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 5 is a partially broken away end elevation of the box on the scale of Fig. 1 filled with shrimp or the like and with the cover portion partially closed; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a blank in accord with the invention and from which the box of the invention may be erected.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, a box 1 is shown which embodies the invention. Box 1 comprises a top portion, generally identified by the numeral 2, and a bottom or body portion generally identified by the numeral 3. The body portion comprises a bottom panel 4 having upstanding end walls 5 and 6 attached thereto along opposite end edge fold lines 7 and 8 of the bottom panel. The end wall panels 5 and 6 are folded upwardly from the bottom panel end edges, and a front panel 9 is similarly folded upwardly along a front or forward edge fold line 10 of the bottom panel. Front wall 9 joins end wall 5 in a folded web corner 11 at which the front panel 9 extends into an inwardly folded triangular extension web 12 which, in turn, is joined along a fold line 13 to a triangular extension web 14 of the end panel 5. Corner web portions 12 and 14 are rigidly affixed in folded position to front panel 9 by means of staples 15. A fold line 16 is formed in the front panel extending upwardly and inwardly from the lower front corner 17, and a similar fold line 18 extends upwardly and inwardly across front panel 9 from left hand front lower corner 19. The left hand folded web corner 20 is arranged in a manner identical to that described im- "ice mediately above for folded edge 11. When front panel 9 is folded rearwardly along fold line 10 into contact with bottom panel 4, it will be seen that end wall panels 5 and 6 may be folded downwardly at least substantially into contact with bottom panel 4, while the front panel is creased along its fold lines 16 and 18, whereby the edges 11 and 20 of the bottom portion 3 will lie along and immediately above the front fold line edge 10 of the bottom panel.

A fold line 21 defines the rear edge of bottom panel 4 and hingedly joins the bottom panel to an upstanding rear panel 22, which, in turn, extends into and joins, along an upper rear fold or hinge line 23, a top panel 24. The top panel 24 is of at least substantially identical size and shape to the bottom panel 4 and is connected along end fold lines 25 and 26 to respective upper end panels 27 and 28 and along an upper fold line 29 to an upper portion front panel 30. Front folded web corners 31 and 32 of the upper portion 2 correspond substantially identically in construction to corners 11 and 20 of the bottom portion 3 of the box, and front panel 30 is seen to extend into an inwardly folded triangular web corner section 33 at corner 32, while end panel 28 extends forwardly into a similar folded triangular web section 34 joined along fold line 35 to section 33. Web sections 33 and 34 are held to panel 30 by means of staples 36. Upper panel 30 has fold lines 37 and 38 extending inwardly and downwardly from the front upper corners 39 and 4b of the top portion 2, corresponding to fold lines 16 and 18 of lower portion front panel 9, which permit collapse of the upper portion 2. A thumb access notch 41 may be formed, if desired, in the lower edge 42 of the upper front panel 30.

The common rear wall panel 22 extends at each end into an isosceles triangular extension portion, such as portion 43 which is foldedly joined along its base 44 to the left hand end edge of panel 22 and which comprises two sides 45 and 46 of equal lengths. Triangular extension 47, which joins the rear edge of left hand lower portion end panel 6 along fold line 48, is foldably joined to extension 43 along side 45, while a triangular section 49, similar to section 47, is joined along a rear edge fold line 50 to upper portion left hand end panel 28, and it is also foldedly joined to portion 43 along side 46 of portion 43. Triangular sections 51 and 52 are seen to be foldedly joined along rear edge fold lines 53 and 54, respectively, to the lower portion right hand end wall 5 and the upper portion right hand end wall 27, in a construction corresponding to that described in connection with sections 47 and 49. An extension from the right hand end of rear wall panel 22 corresponding to extension portion 43 underlies sections 51 and 52, although it is not seen in Fig. 1, and joins these sections 51 and 52 along respective angularly related side fold lines 55 and 56, and the construction comprising sections 51 and 52 and their connected and related parts will be understood to be identical to the corresponding construction comprising sections 47 and 49 as described above. The meeting point of fold lines 55 and 56 at 57 comprise a point corresponding to point 58 shown at the apex of the triangular extension 43 at the left hand end of the rear panel.

Further details of the construction at the left hand end of rear panel 22 may be recognized from the frag mentary detail view of Fig. 2, wherein isosceles triangular rear panel extension 43 is seen to be attached by staple 59 flush against rear panel 22, and wherein it will be noted that the triangular extension section 47 of end wall panel 6, when the panel 6 is partially erected, extends outwardly and forwardly from the rear panel 22,- although fold line 45 along one side of triangular ex tension 43 remains substantially in contact or flush with rear panel 22. Section 49 is also seen to extend forwardly from panel 22 when upper portion end wall 28 is in partially erected position.

Of particular importance in the construction is the fact that the upper or free edge 60 of end wall 6 slants downwardly to form a cut-out edge 61 adjacent its rearward end and before meeting fold line 48 at point 62. A similar slant 63 is formed at the rearward end of the free or lower edge 64 of upper portion end wall 28, and both ends of the box are similarly arranged in this respect. In particular, as best seen in Fig. 6 hereafter described, the edge portion 61 is aligned, when panel 6 and section 47 lie in a common plane, that is, when they are not folded along fold line 48, straight into upper edge 65 of triangular section 47, and, while the angle between sides 45 and 46 of triangular extension 43 is preferably a right angle, the free edges 65, of section 47, and 66, of section 49, when the sections are flattened against rear wall panel 22, are preferably arranged at an angle greater than ninety degrees. This relationship permits the free edge 66 to extend in a direction not exactly along fold line 45 and, as the top section 2 is folded downwardly to telescope over the lower section 3, a very tight corner at the point 58 results, while the corner cutout at 61 permits the rear end of edge 60 to fit up into upper rear corner 67 of the box Without bunching or forced misalignment or bending of end panel 6, as may be recognized from a comparison of Figs. 1 and 2, and as is further apparent from the sectional view of the closed box shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the closed box, wherein the several parts are identified by numerical characters consistently applied in the several figures and adequately described in connection with Fig. 1 above, for example.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 of Fig. 3 and showing isosceles triangular extension 43 lying flush against rear panel 22 and held thereto by staple 59, with web section 49 overlying extension 43 and joined thereto along fold line side 46 thereof. Web section 47 is foldedly joined along side 45 to extension 43 and overlies section 49. Side 46 of extension 43, along which section 49 is folded attached, terminates at upper corner 67 in a small bulge or lump of excess material 68, such as is inherently produced at a meeting corner of several folds in folded fiber board box constructions. The corner cut-out 61 avoids contact of end wall 6 with bulge 68, thereby preventing bending of end Wall 6 at corner 67 and permitting the end walls 6 and 28 to lie flush with one another in a relationship which has proved to be substantially watertight.

Turning again to Fig. l, the corner cut-out 63 of end panel 28 is provided to prevent outward bending of end panel 28 when the box is closed due to the outward bulge which will occur at corner 69 due to the meeting at the corner of the several folds.

As further shown in Fig. 4, the folded Web front corner 20 comprises a triangular web portion 70 foldedly joined to inner, or lower portion, end panel 6, and a triangular web portion 71 foldedly joined to the lower portion or inner front wall panel 9. Portions 70 and 71 are joined to one another along fold line 72, and staple 73 retains web portions 70 and 71 in position flush along front panel 9. Similarly, Web portions 33 and 34 of the upper box portion 2 are folded and locked against outer front wall panel 30 by means of staple 36, portions 33 and 34 being joined to one another along fold line 35.

It will be understood that, for clarity, the material thickness is exaggerated in Fig. 4, and that in actual practice the forward edge along fold line 29 of top panel 24 will lie substantially exactly vertically above and parallel to fold line 10 along the front edge of bottom panel 4, while rear wall panel 22 will be substantially vertical.

Fig. shows further details of the box and suggests a particular intended use for the box. As seen therein, the lower body 3 has been loaded with shrimp 3 for freezing in a water bath to form, finally, a packaged block of ice with shrimp frozen therein. In preparing the final product, the box body 3 is first loaded with the desired weight of shrimp, which may be five pounds, for example, and the body is then filled with water up to the tops of the end and front walls. Some water will, during filling, run off through the folded triangular rear corner section, such as over edge 65, but, if the box is formed of a fiberboard material which yields under the pressure or weight of the water in the bottom section whereby the front and end wall panels 9, 5 and 6 bow outwardly upon filling with water, and if the water is flowed in over the upper edge 74 of the front wall panel 9 with the upper portion 2 almost closed down upon the lower portion 3, that is, with edge 42 of the upper portion front panel brought down to within less than about one-half inch of the level of the edge 74, and if the box is reasonably quickly closed into the condition of Fig. 3 after filling with water, very little water leakage occurs and, because of the extra water volume held by the body portion when its walls are bowed before closure. It will be found that the box is substantially completely water filled upon completion of closure.

The box, following filling with water and closure, is placed upright with its bottom panel resting flat on a horizontal freezer shelf, where it may remain for a sufficient period of time to freeze approximately the lower half of the water and shrimp enclosed. The box is then inverted by rolling it over onto rear panel 22 and con tinuing until it comes to rest in inverted position with top panel 24 now engaging the freezer shelf to permit freezing of the remaining water and shrimp. Upon comple tion of freezing, the box will be found to be completely filled with a solid block of ice with no appreciable amount of air remaining inside the box.

A blank for forming the box herein described is shown in Fig. 6, wherein equal top and bottom panels 24 and 4, respectively, are defined between fold lines 23, 25, 26 and 29, and 7, 8, 10 and 21, respectively, the portions of the blank being designated by numerals in Fig. 5 according with the numerical designation employed in the other figures to assist in comparisons therewith.

Of particular importance is the arrangement of the rear panel end closure sealing extension 43 and its associated connected end wall extension sections 47 and 49, which is duplicated by a corresponding arrangement comprising rear panel extension and end wall extensions 51 and 52. The extension section 43 is shaped as a right isosceles triangle of which the base 44 joins the rear panel 22 and of which the sides 45 and 46 extend at forty-five degrees to the base 44, meeting at the apex 58 of the triangular extension. The free edge 65 of extension 47 intersects fold line 48 slightly inwardly of the outer edge 60 of the blank and continues preferably though not essentially in a straight line to cut out at 61 a small portion, i.e. an upper rear corner portion, of end wall panel 6, intersecting upper edge 60 of panel 6 a short distance or slightly forwardly of fold line 48. It is important in the construction that apex 58 be located substantially exactly, that is within a tolerance equal to not more than approximately the thickness of the fiberboard employed in the box, midway between fold lines 48 and 50, as well as midway between base 44 and the edge of the blank as defined by edges 60 and 64. Thus apex 58 will be equidistant from base 44, line 48 and line 50.

The directions or lengths of edge portions, such as edge portion 65, are less critical, although edge 65, and the others corresponding thereto, should start at the apex, such as apex 58, and should intersect the end panel fold line, such as fold line 48, a short distance inwardly of the blank edge, such as edge 60. A suitable short distance would be several times the thickness of the fiberboard material of the blank, or from about two or three to;

about ten or fifteen times the thickness and it should not be greater than about one-quarter of the height dimension or of the length or depth dimension of the box, and is preferably about one-twelfth to one-eighth of the height dimension. The length of cut-out edge portion 61 is similarly not critical, but it, too, should equal a short distance as above defined, although it will be, of course, somewhat greater in length than the distance from the intersection of edge 65 and line 47 to the edge line 60, 64 of the blank, and, in a satisfactory practical embodiment, the length of the cut-out edge 61 is equal to approximately one-sixth of the height dimension of the box.

At each of the meeting corners between a front panel and an end panel fold lines define a pair of triangular web portions, such as portions 70 and 71, divided and attached to one another along a diagonally extending fold line, such as fold line 72.

Fold lines 16, 18, 37 and 38 extend slantingly across front panels 9 and 30 as previously described herein for permitting, if desired, the application of all required staples at the factory and the shipment of the box in collapsed position, with front panels 9 and 30 folded inwardly against the respective bottom and top panels 4 and 24, and with the end wall panels folded inwardly, as suggested by the partially erected walls 6 and 9 and the corner 20 in Fig. 1. When folded fiat as just described, the front panels will each be folded along fold lines 16 and 18, and 37 and 38, respectively.

Since the box is particularly adapted to use in holding liquids, a wax coated fiberboard, or a board which is otherwise water resistant or non-absorbent is preferred. A suitable paperboard is full bleached or semi-bleached sulphate board of about .025 caliper, which has proved satisfactory for manufacturing boxes about 2 /2 inches high, 12 inches long and 6 inches deep, adapted to pack age pounds net weight of shrimp or the like seafood. In such boxes, the length of cut-out edge 61 may be, for satisfactory operation, three-eights of an inch.

While only certain preferred embodiments of this invention have been shown and described by way of illustration, many modifications will occur to those skilled in the art and it is, therefore, desired that it be understood that it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A folded one-piece substantially watertight box formed of waterproof paperboard comprising upper and lower portions, each said portion including a rectangular panel with two substantially rectangular end walls and a rectangular front wall foldedly attached thereto respectively along the end edges and the front edge of the panel, a folded web joint at each end of each said front wall joining the front wall to the respective end walls of the respective portion, each said web joint comprising a pair of triangular web sections folded back on each other along a fold line extending inclinedly from the front edge of the respective said panel to a free edge of one of said thereto attached walls, said panel of each said portion having a rear edge, each said end wall having a free edge opposite the edge thereof which is joined to the panel of the portion and each having a rearward edge extending perpendicularly toward its free edge from the respective attached panel, the rear corner at the free edge of each said end wall being cut away by a slanting corner cut-out forming a slanting edge extending for a short distance from an intersection with the free edge to an intersection with the rear edge of the end wall, a rectangular rear wall having a first edge hingedly joined to said rear edge of one of said panels and an opposite edge hingedly joined to said rear edge of the other said panels, each of said walls being of the same predetermined height as measured perpendicularly to the thereto joined panel, a respective isosceles triangular extension having a base coextensive with and foldedly joined along its base to the respective other edges of said rear wall and having an apex angle of substantially degrees opposite its said base and folded inwardly against said rear wall, a staple attaching said triangular extension to said rear wall at a point inwardly of its respective edge-joined base, two respective triangular web sections for each said extension, each said web section having a first edge coextensive with and joined along one respective isosceles side of the respective extension and having a second edge coextensive with and hingedly joined to a respective one of said end wall rear edges, whereby the third side of each said triangular web section forms a continuous edge with said slanting edge of the respective end wall.

2. A one-piece liquid containing folded box formed of impregnated waterproof paperboard and comprising, an upper portion having a rectangular top panel and depending substantially rectangular end walls having free lower edges and a depending rectangular front wall joined at each of its ends to said end walls respectively, a bottom portion having a rectangular bottom panel and upstanding substantially rectangular end walls having free upper edges and an upstanding rectangular front wall joined at each of its ends to said end walls respectively, a rectangular rear wall having upper, lower and end edges, each of said walls being of the same predetermined height, said top panel being hingedly joined to said upper edge and said bottom panel being hingedly joined to said lower edge, one said portion telescoping into the other said portion, said end walls having respective rear edges adjacent said ends of said rear wall, two isosceles triangular extensions joined along their respective bases to the respective ends of said rear wall and folded inwardly and anchored against said rear wall, each said extension having upper and lower isosceles sides meeting at a ninety degree angle at the apex point of the respective extension, and four triangular web sections, the upper isosceles sides of said extensions having a first and a second of said web sections respectively hingedly joined thereto, the lower isosceles sides of said extensions having the third and fourth said web sections respectively hingedly joined thereto, each said end wall having a respective corner cut-out extending a short distance and intercepting the free edge and the rear edge of the respective end wall, whereby each said rear edge has a length dimension less than said predetermined height dimension of said walls, said first and second web sections having respective other edges coextensive with and joined respectively to said rear edges of said upper end walls, and said third and fourth web sections having respective other edges respectively coextensive with and joined to said rear edges of said lower end walls whereby the remaining edge of each said triangular web section is continuous with the respective corner cut edge of the respective end wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,422,540 Christensen July 11, 1922 1,814,816 Appelbaum July 14, 1931 1,838,154 Raftenberg Dec. 29, 1931 2,097,708 Trost Nov. 2, 1937 2,665,833 Galbraith Jan. 12, 1954 

